This will be the first of what I hope will be several posts on interesting new laws that came out of the 2014 Maryland legislative session. This post concerns new alcoholic beverage licensing laws in Montgomery County, Maryland. Many of these new laws were the product of the County’s Nighttime Economy Task Force, which was […]
Read more...Category: Alcoholic Beverage Law
Legislation Moving Forward to Remove Liquor License Residency Requirements
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post here about the possibility that counties in Maryland may consider removing the requirement that liquor licenses be held by at least one resident of the county that issues it. Shortly thereafter, the blog BethesdaNow picked up on the story and interviewed me about whether that might be […]
Read more...TTB Backlog for Breweries Highlights Need to Get Applications Done Right the First Time
The federal Alcohol Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) announced earlier this month that, as of the end of 2013, there were over 3700 active brewer’s notices on file with the TTB. A federal brewer’s notice is required to operate a brewery and sell beer in interstate commerce. That number represents a 12% increase over […]
Read more...County Liquor Board Wants to Nix Residency Requirements for Liquor Licenses
The Baltimore Sun had an interesting story last week about how the liquor board of Harford County, Maryland, wants to eliminate the state requirement that every county liquor license application have on it at least one resident of the county. As stated in the article, it can often be a challenge for a restaurant to […]
Read more...Liquor Liability, Licensing Issues on Tap for Maryland Legislature in 2014
In the December 2013 Maryland State Bar Association’s Bar Bulletin, I look ahead to the 2014 Maryland legislative session and preview a couple of issues that will be very important to retailers of alcoholic beverages in Maryland. Please take a moment to read the full article here.
Read more...Does Proposed Acquisition Raise Three-Tier Integration Concerns?
Generally speaking, and with some notable exceptions, the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States are divided among three tiers, with ownership of producers, distributors and retailers required to remain separate. For example, in Maryland, where my firm has its primary practice, anyone with an ownership interest in an entity with […]
Read more...Liquor Laws Continue to be Big Focus in Montgomery County
In order to compete with its neighbor the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Maryland, continues to strive to make itself a more inviting place for those seeking after-hours entertainment options. As indicated in my previous post, a sizable portion of these efforts involves reforming the county’s laws regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages. In case […]
Read more...“Nighttime Economy Task Force” Issues Recommendations
Earlier this year, Montgomery County, Maryland, created a task force of local civic leaders and businesspeople to address issues that could make the county a more inviting place for those seeking lively nightlife offerings. On October 21, 2013, this “Nighttime Economy Task Force” issued its recommendations, many of which — particularly those changing county liquor […]
Read more...Morris Law Firm Helps Bring Spanish-based Restaurant Chain to Bethesda
The locally-focused blog Bethesda Now featured a story last week on the upcoming opening of a new Bethesda location for the Spanish-based restaurant chain 100 Montaditos. The local operators, who were approved for a Montgomery County liquor license on September 19, expect to open in early October. The new location on Elm Street, just off […]
Read more...Court of Appeals (Again) Declines to Bring Dram Shop Liability to Maryland
In a closely watched case (and one I have written about here, here, and here), the Maryland Court of Appeals last month, in a 4-3 decision, declined to recognize dram shop liability in the state of Maryland. Dram shop liability is a theory of liability that holds a restaurant or tavern owner accountable if a […]
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